My Books of 2018: Brandon Sanderson

Steelheart, Firefight, and Calamity (The Reckoners Trilogy) by Brandon Sanderson

If you’ve read Mistborn and its series, you know that Brandon Sanderson is one of the most reliable fantasy authors working today for intricately-plotted entertainment. I’ve now read six novels and a novella by this man, and every single one has been thrilling and satisfying. The characters are sharply drawn and likable, with enough wrinkles and surprises to make them believable. The action is quick and dramatic, but seasoned with enough reality and common sense to keep the worldbuilding from falling apart. And the plot is pure Sanderson: carefully-planned twists and setbacks, plans going against plans, failures leading to changes in heart as well as actions, and innovative solutions to problems. These books are lean, quick reads, but worth every minute. While The Reckoners doesn’t quite reach the heights of the first Mistborn trilogy, it’s still an extremely fun and clever mix of the superhero and post-apocalypse genres.

Yeah. I think it was exactly what it wanted to be, and accomplished all of its goals with aplomb. But that still leaves it with less impact than a deeper, more intricately developed story like Mistborn.